Posts tagged ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’

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Citing the movement of users to newer versions of Android and the increasing complexity to support older devices, Google’s Chrome team announced today they will bring development of updates for the Chrome browser on Ice Cream Sandwich to a halt. The change in status for the browser will take place with Chrome’s 42nd release after which the browser will be put in the virtual deep freeze on Ice Cream Sandwich. Users will be able to continue to use Chrome on their devices, but there will be no more updates.

Google software engineer Aurimas Lutikas noted that since Chrome was first made available on Android 4.0, there have been three new versions of Android released including Jellybean, KitKat and now Lollipop. During that same period of time, there have been 24 new releases of Chrome. As users replace smartphones with newer devices running newer versions of Android or upgrade their devices, the number of users with Ice Cream Sandwich has dropped by thirty percent in just the first year. This shrinking base makes it hard to justify continued development and support for older devices instead of building new features and capabilities used by the majority of users.

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Google has just announced that Chrome version 42 will be the last version compatible with devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The company explains that developing Chrome with new features for older versions of Android is becoming increasingly difficult, so the browser’s 42nd release will be the last version for devices running that version. Google states that over the past year, the company has seen the number of Chrome users running ICS drop a massive 30%, so from a company standpoint, this move makes sense. Of course, devices running this version of Android will still be able to use Chrome, just not update the app any further.

Odds are, many users that bought an ICS device have since upgraded to a new smartphone, so this likely won’t affect too many users. In fact, according to the latest Android distribution numbers that were just posted yesterday, Ice Cream Sandwich is running on a total of 5.9% of all current Android devices. This is a .5% decrease from last month, and a .3% decrease from the month prior. Take a look at the screenshot below for more information on the most recent Android distribution numbers.

Are you using an Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich? Will Google’s move affect you in any way? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

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Google has just published its latest distribution figures for the Android operating system. The numbers were uploaded to the official Developer Dashboard blog and reveal a consistent growth in the amount of users running KitKat (4.4), whilst older versions of the OS continue on their long path towards extinction.

As is the norm, this data was collected by recording which operating systems customers were running when they accessed the Google Play Store over a 7-day period, which ended on Tuesday, November 3, 2014. This consequently gives Google an insight as to which version of Android is running on active devices all around the world. The team at Mountain View then break down this information and condense it into a pie chart for us to comb through.

You’ll immediately notice that Cupcake, Donut, Eclair and Honeycomb are missing from the chart – this doesn’t mean they no longer exist, because they do. In actual fact, they’re absent because the earlier builds of the operating system can no longer access the updated version of the Play Store. However, Google did create a separate post suggesting that “versions older than Android 2.2 accounted for about 1% of the devices that checked in to Google servers.”

As you can see Froyo is almost at the point of being wiped out, holding just 0.6% of the Android market share — down 0.1% from September’s reading. Gingerbread has decreased dramatically, now measuring in at 1.6% under last month’s 11.4%.

The amount of users running Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3 – 4.0.4) seems to have reduced slightly, too, with total market distribution dropping down to 8.5%. That’s a 1.1% decrease from last month’s 9.6%. The data also exhibits that the usage of Jelly Bean (4.1.x – 4.3) has also declined, dropping down from 53.8% to 50.9%.

KitKat (4.4) is the only version of the operating system to face an increase this month, with an inflation of a whopping 5.7%, now weighing in at 30.2% of the total market share. Clearly, more people are purchasing Android 4.4-compatible smartphones and tablets, which is great as it means that the operating system can continue to expand, without leaving any users with outdated devices behind.

Do you want to find out more about these latest distribution figures? If so, simply head on over to the Android Developer Dashboard by clicking the source link below.

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If you’re hankering for a taste of Android L but don’t have a Nexus device to install the SDK on, you could always check out its new keyboard, which is now available for almost any Android-powered device running Ice Cream Sandwich or later.

A third-party developer has extracted the keyboard APK from an official Android L developer preview build and made it available to download from a secure file sharing website. It’s free, has no ads, and does not require root access.

Hit the break for the download link and instructions on how to install the file on your smartphone/tablet.

Installing the keyboard is easy. Simply navigate to this page, tap the download button and click install when you’re prompted to do so. You may have to allow installations from third-party sources if you haven’t already. To do this head into settings, then security and check the box entitled ‘Unknown sources’ and you’re good to go.

If you happen to run into any issues along the way do be sure to drop a comment in the section below, and we’ll do our very best to get you back on track.

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If you’re hankering for a taste of Android L but don’t have a Nexus device to install the SDK on, you can check out its awesome new keyboard, which is now available for almost any Android-powered device running Ice Cream Sandwich or later.

A third-party developer has extracted the keyboard APK from an official Android L developer preview build and made it available to download from a secure file sharing website. It’s free, has no ads, and does not require root access.

Hit the break for the download link and instructions on how to install the file on your smartphone/tablet.

Installing the keyboard is easy. Simply navigate to this page, tap the download button and click install when you’re prompted to do so. You may have to allow installations from third-party sources if you haven’t already. To do this head into settings, then security and check the box entitled ‘Unknown sources’ and you’re good to go.

If you happen to run into any issues along the way do be sure to drop a comment in the section below, and we’ll do our very best to get you back on track.

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Samsung looks set to expand its already varied array of tablet devices with an oversized Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 to land in February with a near 12-inch display, new reports have revealed.

Tipped for MWC 2012 arrival at the end of February, the 11.6-inch Samsung tablet is claimed to sport a form factor little bigger than that of its injunction hit 10.1-inch sibling with a much smaller bezel offing increased real-estate for the expansive display.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 Features

Quoting a “reliable source” the new reports, which come courtesy of BGR, have suggested that the mooted Galaxy Tab 11.6 will boast Google’s recently released Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system with Apple’s seemingly iPad 3 bound Retina Display to be trumped by the inclusion of a hefty 2560 x 1600p Full HD offering.

Driving the leaked tablet to true powerhouse status, a 2GHz dual-core Exynos processor is said to be on the Tab 11.6’s impressive specs list with Android Beam inclusion seeing the users able to sync the upcoming tablet with their Galaxy Nexus handsets.

Is 11.6-inches too big for a tablet device, should manufacturers simply stick a functional keyboard on the bottom and call it a laptop? Let us know what you think via the comments box below.

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The world’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet has gone on sale with Chinese manufacturer Ainovo taking the honours with a budget 7-inch offering, the Ainovo NOVO7.

With the Motorola Xoom 2 expected to be the first ICS tab prior to its somewhat disappointing unveiling, speculation and anticipation has been rife for a number of weeks around which high profile manufacturer would get the nod to release the first tablet sporting the latest Google mobile OS offering.

Ainovo NOVO7 Specs

Asides from joining the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the now two strong contingent of Ice Cream Sandwich outing devices the entry level Ainovo NOVO7 features specs which punch far beyond its minimalist £60 price tag.

Despite coming firmly out of left field to land as the first Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet, Ainovo is claiming to have the full support of Google and the company’s head of Android, Andy Rubin.

“I’m thrilled to see the entrance of MIPS-Based Android 4.0 tablets into the market,” the Ainovo press release quotes the Google leader as saying.

“Low cost, high performance tablets are a big win for mobile consumers and a strong illustration of how Android’s openness drives innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers around the world.”

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Even though Ice Cream Sandwich is popping up everywhere since its source code was released to the public, we’ve got to give a shout out now that its been squeezed onto the original Google phone, HTC’s G1. The G1 was last seen sporting an unofficial Honeycomb port, and now jcarrz1 from XDA-Developers is showing off his device running Android 4.0 in this video. So far the touchscreen is (slowly) working, along with all apps and “ICS goodies”, though WiFi, Bluetooth and rotation are still out. That’s a nice effort for a device that some said wouldn’t see any versions past 1.5, so press play and witness the unholy fusion of Android’s past and present working all at once, or hit the source link below to grab the alpha release for yourself.

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Hardly the most unpredictable news in the world, but Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy S II will be receiving an upgrade to the next big version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. That word comes from the company’s UK Twitter feed, though specific dates aren’t yet being provided. Samsung’s UK strategy has generally been consistent with the rest of Europe, meaning that an update to British Galaxy S II phones will likely be happening simultaneously with those in neighboring countries. US owners of the various carrier-branded GSII models should be a little more wary, however, as the history of Samsung Android upgrades in that market has been one of patchy, inconsistent updates that typically come quite a bit later than the global version. For now, let’s just add another highly prized handset to the growing list of confirmed ICS upgrades.

If you were hoping for similarly good news with respect to Samsung’s earlier top model, the Galaxy S, the company’s saying it has nothing to announce yet. An update to Ice Cream Sandwich isn’t being ruled out, but clearly Samsung doesn’t want to make any promises it won’t be able to keep.

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Ready for today’s grain of salt? We just got handed imagery and specs of a possible HTC device in the works codenamed the Zeta. It’s a quad-core handset, much like the Edge that was leaked last week, but it has a much faster 2.5GHz APQ8064 CPU along with 1GB of RAM running the show, on a 4.5-inch 720p HD display. According to our source, the uniquely shaped smartphone will come with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed with Sense UI (version 4.0 wasn’t specified, but we’d be surprised to see it any lower on an ICS device) and have 32GB of internal storage space, an 1,830mAh battery, Beats Audio, Bluetooth 4.0, an 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, 1080p video capture and a 1.3MP front-facing cam. Dimensions? We have those, too: the Zeta is said to measure at 109.8 x 60.9 x 9.8mm (4.32 x 2.4 x 0.39 inches) and weigh 5.15 ounces (146g). Pricing and availability aren’t known, and we’re still digging for more info. It certainly has an intriguing look; the sharp corners would be a huge departure from HTC’s recent design choices, though it appears to have HTC’s signature unibody build in the back. So are we just looking at a cool concept or is this the next flagship phone? We’re hoping it’s the latter.